


Wake up

by violetjosh



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Anxiety, Exploring, Fluffy, M/M, Test run, Trench Era, Tyler sews sweaters, cuddling in a cave, dema
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-17 23:46:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15472755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetjosh/pseuds/violetjosh
Summary: He simply shrugs. "I can get you out of here." Josh says next, finger's curling around the strap of his backpack. "You won't get caught." He looks serious, Tyler gulps.His voice is hoarse. "I will." He says.





	1. Chapter 1

  
Tyler wakes up panting, a hand to his chest. It wasn't a dream, never is.

He remembers being watched, shapes above trench, masks, yellow, he was yellow too but the yellow never worked for him. His jacket was torn off of him, the yellow tape and then rest.

He gasps, he can't breathe and he can't move either but he knows where he is and it isn't trench. It'll never be trench, the claws and smiles of the bishops will always taunt him, grab him by the ankles and pull him back to Dema. Because Dema is home, Dema is where he belongs, Dema is where he will subject himself to vialism and tired eyes and obedience.

Tyler isn't obedient, but somehow the bishops haven't dragged him away to his death yet. Haven't squeezed his throat with ghastly hands, haven't stolen his last breath. They've assured him that he belongs with them, Nico had told him. "There will forever be a place for you in Dema. You are needed, we need you."

lies. No one needs him, that's why he's alone.

Despite being alone, he isn't dead. The necropolis won't contain his corpse any time soon. He belongs in trench, he doesn't belong to Dema because Dema doesn't own him like it owns the others.

Freedom calls his name like a song that demands to be listened to, it's in his blood, humming, crying, home is elsewhere, Tyler needs to be free.

He'll be free.

*  
Roaming the streets of Dema fills him with dread, watching the children run around, they seem happy, they scream and laugh and play games and Tyler is sure the bishops love to have citizens that are this happy.

Citizens that enjoy their city, oblivious to the outside word, oblivious that most have been separated from their birth parents, oblivious that there's more, so much more.

He knows he was, he knows most are.

He's lived here nearly all of his life, his parents brought him here in refuge when he was 3 and that was it. Subjected to a life without choice, subjected to a religion where he obeys bishops and follows orders.

This is why it's hard to roam the streets, even though he grew up on them, he also escaped by running through the city, and he was also dragged back in through these very streets.

It's hard to be here, but unfortunately it's harder to leave.

*

He's not free. He's at work, Nico's district is structured compared to some of the others. He mends clothes, fabric, takes part in the creation of apparel for all of Dema. He's making sweaters today, as fall is around the corner, the temperature drops.

The fabrics they provide are thick, soft, good for sewing. Tyler doesn't know where they get them from, how they're made, he's never been told anything. He was taught to sew, this is his job, this is his place in Dema, his forever job, his life work. Providing what everyone needs.

He works underground like all the others, above ground is residence and merchandise. Underground is everything else, at 7AM he's at the employment building with his fellow co-workers, at 7:05AM he's lead down a flight or two of stairs and at 7:10AM he starts work. The employment building is large, he's been told there's one in every district.

Today he's working in the corner, it's quiet, the only sound is the sound of hard work and the constant tick of sewing machines. They only have a few sewing machines but today he's not using one, he's sewing by hand. And yesterday he'd cut all the fabric appropriately, today he's to sew it all together. It's his favourite part.

His work day starts like it normally does, he's tired the second he picks up his thread and needle but he knows he has to use up all the material they've provided with him today or else he'll have extra work. For hours he sews, eyes heavy, it's hard to work like this.

Even with the bright lighting fixtures they have installed just knowing he's underground has him less energized then he needs to be.

He's awful, they really don't need him but no matter what, no matter how awful his craftsmanship is they will never change his job. This is the rest of the life and Tyler can't handle it.

Right before his lunch break, as he works on the collar of a sweater, there's a tap on his shoulder, Tyler turns, his hands are shaking. No one ever bothers him, most stay to themselves, especially him. It's a surprise to see anyone, to talk to anyone. He can go days without speaking solely because no one has anything to say.

"Hello." He says, voice rough, eyes warm. Somehow he's smiling at him, in a daze. Tyler finds it odd, no one smiles here, he pauses his sewing, pressing the side of the needle against his thumb. He's familiar, Tyler's not sure why.

"Do you need help?" Tyler asks immediately, that being the only response he can muster. Why else would anyone approach him. And who is this. Tyler's never seen him before and he knows everyone who works here, but he's never seen him. Did he sneak in? He's definitely not a superior either, his clothes are of a lower level.

The man nods, Tyler stares at his hair, dark curls, they seem alive to him. A change to the flatness everyone here seems to posses. "I need you to make me something." He crouches down by him, hopeful to draw less attention. Quiet.

Tyler gulps, anxiety flooding through him in waves, he wants to, wants to disobey but he says. "I-I don't think i'm allowed to." He's supposed to follow the schedule, he has a lot of sweaters to finish by the end of the day. Already he's losing precious time.

The person shakes his head, stares at him with pleading eyes. "It's important."

"I don't have the fabrics." Tyler murmurs then, to show he's considering it. He looks at his hands, pricking his thumb with the needle. He feels blood. "We're given the exact materials we need for the day."

The man doesn't care. "I have material." He says immediately, pulling off the backpack he's wearing, easily letting it fall to the floor. Tyler's eyes widen, he's instantly looking at his fellow menders, he expects to have their attention. They're too busy stabbing their fingers with the tips of needles to notice a damn thing. He looks back down, the mans hands are in his backpack now, curling around fabric that's a colour Tyler hasn't seen in a long time.

"Green, Yellow." Tyler drops the needle in his hand, the shock registers slowly. He drops to the floor, adjacent to the person and pushes the fabric back into the bag. "Where did you get this?" His stare is hard.

"It doesn't matter." He say, staring right back at him. Tyler can count his freckles. "I need a jacket and something that'll cover my face, will you do it? Please."

Tyler looks around, he whispers, he knows what yellow means, he knows those colours too well, He's worn them. "What's your name?" Tyler asks quickly.

"Josh." Josh says, he's not smiling anymore, he looks nervous. He's zipping up his backpack, making sure the bright yellow fabric is tucked inside properly.

Tyler stands up, scrambling. Josh wants to wear yellow, Tyler is reminded of the stacks of yellow flower hidden in his bedroom. Josh is like him. Josh is like him. Josh is like him. Josh stands up too and Tyler's searching for a pencil and then a piece of paper. Once he finds them he writes down his address, it shouldn't be hard to find.

"Come find me, i'll help you." Tyler says quietly, pushing the piece of paper into Josh's hand. Being discreet is the important part. "I'll do whatever I can."

Josh touches his shoulder, a tight squeeze. "Thank you."

*

The rest of the day, Tyler sews faster then he ever has. His finger tips are bleeding by the time he's freed from the stone cold room he spends his days in. He can't even bring himself to eat, they have meals prepared for him and his co-workers. Bread, some fruit, water. It's bland today, the food is sparse most of the time.

He takes the stairs, they're clean, so clean and Tyler's shoes squeak as he goes up to his floor. He's on the ninth, not by choice. Like everyone else, his apartment was assigned to him and like everyone else his apartment is but a bedroom and a bathroom. The food is on the bottom floor, 3 meals a day, and if you're late you get nothing.

The residence buildings were built to contain as many people as possible, no room for kitchens or extra space. Just enough for a single person to survive. Everyone lives the same way and unless you have children or are married you live alone. And even then the only difference in your apartment is the number of rooms.

Tyler lives in the smallest building with the smallest apartments possible. His bathroom is tiny too. He has a bed, a dresser, some room for storage, a chair and then all his personal items. The best thing about his apartment are the windows.

They let in the light, it gives him hope in comparaison to the shitty lights that are provided by the bishops.

He’s home for 10 minutes before there’s a knock on the door. His first reaction is to hide, he remembers the bishops but his second reaction is to open the door because its probably Josh. Josh the possible vigilante who’s  forcing him to make him a stupid jacket and face cover. 

Tyler shuffles over to the door, insanely relieved to see that _yeah_ , it’s just Josh. 

He's in different clothes now, darker greys. His hair is hidden by his hood and Tyler can't get over how familiar he looks. He just can't put his finger on it. "Hey." Josh says.

"Hi." Tyler inhales nervously, naturally moving to the side. "Come in."

Josh doesn't move.

"Hurry up." Tyler sighs, Josh stepping in this time, Tyler shutting the door behind him. He locks it, hopes that it'll make a difference. He's paranoid, how couldn't he be? Even though he knows that the bishops don't expect him to try and escape anytime soon, he knows they still check for him daily.

"Are you being watched?" Josh asks, walking inside, towards the windows. Drawn to the light.

"The bishops don't trust me." Tyler paces over, picking at the sleeves of his sweater. "You know who I am don't you?" He stares at Josh. "That's why you approached me. You don’t actually want me to sew for you.” 

“Well, I do want you to. Which is why I brought everything with me.” There's no guilt in the way Josh smiles, Tyler doesn't understand what he has to smile about but he won't bother asking. "But, I also know who you are.” Josh sighs. “you've failed how many times now?"

He knows exactly what Josh  asking. "5." Tyler says, head down, point blank. Running his finger tips across the top of his dresser. "Have you tried before?"

The silence eats him alive, but he doesn't turn around. Josh is mulling for his own answer, unsure. Tyler won't pressure him to answer but Josh does.

"I'm already out." Josh says quietly.

Tyler turns around, eyes wide. "Shut up, you're here. You're not in trench Josh, you're here in Dema under the roofs of the bishops. Open your eyes."

He simply shrugs. "I can get you out of here." Josh says next, finger's curling around the strap of his backpack. "You won't get caught." He looks serious, Tyler gulps.

His voice is hoarse. "I will." He says.

It's too soon, Tyler knows that it's too soon to try again. He's only been back for 8 days, they're watching him, the vultures stare at him when he walks down the street. Failed escapees are treated like scum in other districts. why would anyone want to leave the precious city? But in Nico's they are praised but even so, every attempt is tallied. Tyler's coming close to not coming back alive.

He stares at Josh, Josh who's picking at his nails, biting his bottom lip. "I'll die." Tyler sighs. He leans against his dresser. "And I don't trust you."

"How can I get you to trust me?"

Tyler needs proof. "Tell me about trench."

"You've been there." Josh states, yet he continues, eyes dreamy. "it's beautiful. There's colour, the air feels breathable and somehow even when you're alone you feel less lonely then you do when you're in Dema. If you walk along the stream it doesn't even feel real and if you walk above trench, if you make it to the top you can see Dema. No matter how far you go you can always see it."

He looks at Tyler. "The best part are the caves that line the walls, i've set up camp in a few of them. The bishops never check there."

"I've never made it far." Tyler admits, he believes him. "Nico hunts me down within hours, i'm not fast enough, he always smears me."

"Let me get you out, I saw last time. What he did. So did the rest of us. We couldn't just leave you here."

"Us?" Tyler asks.

"Bandits." Josh shrugs. "Banditos. A lot of us are native in spanish, or have learned it to communicate without the bishops being able to understand. The name of our group varies."

"They've sent out guards to come collect us before." Josh murmurs, clearly the topic is hard for him. "They hate us more then they'll ever hate escaped citizens, they can easily reel you guys back in but us? Were the sight of complete disobedience, and they hate it. They think by bringing back escapees that it'll help you all see the light. See that Dema is home."

"It's not home." Tyler says, approaching Josh. "It's a trap."

"Yeah, it's shitty here."

"Can you really get me out?" Tyler asks, he's trying to be hopeful.

Josh smiles at him. "Yeah, we could leave now if we wanted."

"Too soon." Tyler shakes his head.

"I have a way out, there are only so many opportunities to use it though. The bishops aren't completely idiotic, they'll find our main entry way and exit eventually and then getting in here will be much more difficult."

"And you still come back, Even though you could get locked in here again?"

Josh nods. "Always, me and my group. We come here every few months and spread out through the districts. We try and find past escapees, it's easier to convince you guys to try again. You know what happens, you know what's out there. We also try and recruit the ones who don't look dead, still have that fucking gleam in their eyes to disobey."

"How did you escape?" Tyler asks. "I mean the first time, when you really got out?"

Josh hesitates again. "Later, i'll tell you eventually but not now."

"That's fair." Tyler murmurs, he looks out the window, the sky a stark grey.

“Tomorrow night i’ll come back for you.” Josh says from behind him.

“With the others?” He’s curious, it’s only natural that he is. He has so many questions. He’s always been aware that people have escaped but he’s never made an effort to understand what came after, he only focused on the present and the present had always been to completely surpass trench and get to the lands that trail even further. He’s never gotten there though.

He doesn’t understand how the groups work and even though he wants to put all his trust into Josh it’s hard to do. He’s been deceived before and he’s terrified it’ll happen again.

Josh shakes his head, curls falling to his eyes. His hair in dire need of a trim. “No. They’ll join us later. It’s easier to leave in smaller groups, different tunnels, that type of shit.”

“Tunnels?” That’s not how he escaped. His eyes are wide as he digests the information.

Josh’s laugh is humourless, yet still light and somehow sincere. “Be ready the moment you get back from work. I’ll be waiting.”

The excitement is building up to his chest already and Josh is heading for the door when Tyler says. “Wait.” 

Josh turns. 

“Didn’t you want me to make you a jacket?” Hes not sure why he’s asking, but he’s scared it’s because he’s really doesn’t want Josh to leave. 

Josh laughs. ”Oh shit, almost forgot, I was uh-being serious when I asked you to help me with my jacket and bandana.” Josh says, drawing his backpack off of his shoulders to rummage through it. Tyler blinks.

”I don’t actually need a full jacket made though, but-“ He pulls out a completed jacket, camouflage, dark greens and light ones. “I was wondering if you knew how you could make it warmer, it’s really thin and y’know, winters coming up.” Josh sniffs. “Would you still be willing to help out with that, please.” 

Tyler grabs the jacket out of his hands, Josh making no complains. It’s light, a summer jacket for when it’s windy outside. He pinches the material. “I think I can yeah? You have material still?” 

Josh grins, pulling out thick yellow and grey/green fabrics. “It’s all I have.” 

Tyler reaches to stroke the fabric, it’s even softer then the ones he’s provided with at work. “I can definitly work with this.” He assures. It wouldn’t be difficult to realign the cost. 

“I could probably do it all tonight honestly.” It’s an easy fix to him. 

“ _Fuck_ , really?” 

Tyler nods with a small smile. “Is that all?” 

Josh zips up his backpack. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Tyler might throw up. “Thank you.” 

“No, thank _you_.” 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

  
Tyler's last day of work is a shaky one. He gets there late, flustered, nervous as he blurts out apology after apology to his superior. The man even smiles at him at the sound of it, Tyler feels sick.

the superiors who watch over the citizens at work enjoy  their power, enjoy that people like Tyler have to apologize to them. It's a sign of respect in Dema, apologies, which is why Tyler's not a fan of them. Still, he grew up with the word sorry on the tip of his tongue. It's hard to scratch a habit like that. Especially when it's his superior he's saying it to.

He exhales deeply once he's let through and led to his station. Today's material are there, new prints and designs stacked up on the corner of his strip of table. He shoves hiss backpack underneath, it has Josh's jacket and face cover in it, safely hidden by an extra change of his own clothes.

He needs to be prepared incase they need to leave early, or if Josh is waiting for him right after work. Just incase is what he tells himself.

*

Josh is in his apartment when he gets there and Tyler almost screams when he sees him sitting on his bed twirling a pocket knife.

He doesn’t scream though, he gasps. “shit, I thought you’d be waiting for me. Y’know.....Outside of my apartment.” Tyler locks the door behind him, always cautious, always concerned about safety.

“Didn’t want to draw too much attention.” He shrugs, standing up with a small groan. “Did you fix up my coat?”

Tyler nods and sets his backpack on the floor, kneeling down beside it. He hopes Josh didn’t just use him for this, he hopes Josh doesn’t bolt the moment Tyler gives him what he’d originally asked him for. He needs to leave and he trusts Josh to help him do so.

He pulls out the jacket first, tossing it to Josh who smiles brightly as he catches it. Tyler chews his lip nervously as he watches Josh inspect the coat. “It’s perfect, thank you so much dude.”

Tyler smiles and pulls out the face cover next, throwing it as his bed. “No problem.”

“I’m guessing you have a jacket of some kind right? You’ll need one.”

“Yeah um- i think i’ve got one.” Tyler looks at him. He looks different then he did yesterday, tougher. It’s definitely the clothes and it’s definitely the jacket.

“Pack up warm clothes, not too much though. We still need room for water, food. All that stuff.”

Tyler tells him to just sit down and relax while he quickly packs, he grabs his favourite jacket. A army green colour, with a hood, a sweater, extra socks, underwear. The basic stuff. And he pauses when he hears the sound of ripping tape. He doesn’t look at first but when it doesn’t stop he has to check.

“Uh-what’re you doing?” Tyler frowns when he turns around, his arms full of clothes.

Josh has an x of yellow tape crossing over his heart overtop of his jacket and then a ring of it around his right knee. Tyler’s seen it before but he’s never understood, he’s seen it on the banditos.

“Yellow’s supposed to bring luck.” Josh grabs the face mask off his bed and pulls it over his head to rest around his neck.

“Okay....since when?”

Josh just shrugs. “It’ll help, it always does. We’ll tape you up too.”

That makes him nervous but it’s fine, he trusts Josh.

*

They leave when it’s dark out, after Tyler snuck down to the shared kitchens to grab food for them despite Josh having assured him that he already had.

Its basically pitch black once they’re outside, as there’s no power in Dema at night. Everything is turned off, no chance of light except for the bishops. They have the luxury of power whenever they want it.

Tyler is in his coat, Josh had actually taped him up. Yellow sticks to his shoulders and around his arms like it’s a safety precaution and necessary for his escape.

He’s done it before,without it and doesn’t understand why it would make any difference. But he lets Josh do it anyways, just incase it does change things.

Josh leads them through Nico’s district, they stay close to the first wall, hiding behind buildings and whatever else. Tyler feels sick but he goes along with it because he has to go. After having a taste of trench, of the real world, he knows that’s where he’s meant to be.

*

They run for a long time and when they finally reach Trench, the wind picks up, wraps around them like a blanket as they walk along the stream.

Tyler stumbles slightly, his shoes too flat for the rocky terrain. He can feel every single rock. Meanwhile Josh is in front of him, humming, hood over his head, he's even wearing boots. Thick chunky ones.

If Tyler had any doubt about him before, it's gone now. Josh knows what he's doing, he's comfortable, confident. If he has any worries about getting caught, he doesn't show it.

They had run at first, through the tunnels, Tyler helplessly clutching Josh's arm as he pulled them along. The second they'd entered the tunnel Tyler had frozen completely and Josh had been the one to snap him out of him and pull him until he started running too.

The tunnels go under dema, they used to be used when leaving was allowed. That's what Josh had said, the tunnels had been important at some point. The bishops used them, which had worried Tyler but understandably, the bishops had previously cemented the entry way. No way for anyone to break out. What they hadn't bothered to do was block the exit.

So when bandits started coming into the city to encourage a rebellion of sorts, all they'd had to do was hammer away at the cement until they got through.

The tunnel had been claustrophobic, Tyler had feared the whole thing would collapse atop him and Josh as they ran through. It was dark, Tyler couldn't see anything. Josh though, he knew exactly where to go, as though he could see in the dark.

And now they're walking, Tyler's been here before. This exact part of trench, this was where he'd gotten captured, where he'd watched Nico come for him on horseback. It's hard to forget.

It's hard, it's so hard and Tyler has to take a step back, pause and breathe. He can see it so clearly, Nico's hands reaching for him, on his neck, him running, slipping and falling. And Nico pulling off his jacket, pulling him onto the horse, dragging him back. It's clearer to imagine in Trench, no matter how beautiful and no matter how much Tyler loves it. The memories he has of the place will never be good.

He's glad he didn't bring his flowers with him.

"Tyler?" Josh looks around, frowning when he spots Tyler way further behind then he thought he'd been. Tyler's not even looking, just staring elsewhere, completely gone.

Tyler blinks at the ground, disassociated completely.

Running over takes less then a minute, immediately Josh touches his shoulders, both hands a gentle squeeze. "Dude, hey." Josh is gentle, so careful as he attempts to ease Tyler's gaze back up to him, hand to his cheek as he helps him raise his head to meet his eyes.

"Huh?" Tyler blinks, immediately pulling away. Fuck.

"You good?" The concern is evident in Josh's facial expression, his bottom lip stuck between his teeth as he studies Tyler's face.

Tyler looks at him then, eyes widening. He looks around, behind himself first and then at the top of the trench. He looks at Josh for a second time.

Josh asks again. "Are you okay?" He squeezes Tyler's shoulders.

Tyler doesn't know if he's okay but he has to say yes, if he's out of Dema he's okay. "Y-yeah, i'm just nervous I guess." Tyler says, grabbing his water bottle from the side of his bag. Needing to look elsewhere, away from Josh.

"We're fine, I promise. Just 10 more minutes before we get to my usual cave."

"Your usual?" Tyler grins, on the verge of laughing. He sips at his water.

Tyler chugs his water, Josh starts walking again, Tyler follows, his legs feel like jelly. "I mean, usually i'm alone but it's always my first stop of the night. There's a few blankets usually, pillows. We used to bring some from dema for the first camp out, to be more comfortable."

Tyler nods, it's highly possible that he sewed together some of those blankets and that thought alone makes him slightly bitter. "Wouldn't it be better if we just kept walking, got a little more distance?" The further they could get in one night, the better. They'll cover more ground and if the bishops send out searches it'll be too dark for them too se spot them if they're hidden.

Josh shakes his head, Tyler falls into step with him, careful not to trip. "Not really. We have to go through that cave anyways, it brings us to what's on the other side of trench."

"What's it look like?"

"Bare land mostly." Josh shrugs. "It's a long hike through the cave, kind of dangerous I guess. There's a few streams that are definitely deadly, you slip, you die."

"Oh."

"Don't worry." Josh smiles at him, it's calming, somehow reassuring. "I know the safest way through and no one i've brought through here with me has ever gotten hurt."

Instinctively, Tyler looks behind him. Scared to see Nico, scared to hear the gallop of horses. There's nothing. Josh seems to notice too.

"I told you, you're not going to die." His voice is so soft, Tyler nods. Josh doesn't stop. "Once we get to the main camp, you'll be safe. We have food and shelter, you'll fit right in."

"Shelter?" Tyler furrows his brows.

"You'll see. Honestly, I know you're paranoid but what's the point of telling you everything. Gotta save some stories for the trip you know? It'll take at least a week to get there." It's hard to not ask questions, especially when Josh seems to deflect all of the questions he actually wants answered. Tyler figures he'll know eventually. It's best not to push.

"Sorry," He smiles tiredly. "I'm just curious. Whenever i made it to trench i hadn't really thought about the after part, it was always, get out, don't get caught." Tyler steps over a large tree branch, following Josh's lead as they talk.

"Well so far we're good on both of those things."

So far.

*

Josh is right, which isn't surprising, the cave has blankets and pillows tucked away against one of the rugged walls. It's freezing inside, cold hard rock everywhere, there's moss, a few plants. Tyler's never made it through the night, certainly never made it here.

Getting inside had been a feat on its own, it's hidden by tall bushes and long grass and Tyler would've walked straight past it had Josh not tugged on his sleeve when he kept walking down trench. They'd had to climb a bit too, Josh jumping up on his own, clinging to the slippery ledge, clearly having much more upper body strength then Tyler could ever posses.

Inside is wet and musky but it's better and more secure then sleeping out and the open, Tyler's grateful. They stay close to the exist, Tyler sits, panting. He's exhausted, despite his earlier protests, they walked far today.

Josh is fine, he's humming something as he unpacks his bag. His nose still covered by the mask Tyler had made him. It's nice to see someone actually wearing something he's made considering everything he made in Dema just got shipped away to other districts.

"Hungry?" Josh asks. He's set himself up against the wall opposite to Tyler's.

Tyler's too anxious to eat but he knows if he doesn't he'll wake up starving. Still he tries to squirm his way out of it, realistically they probably don't have enough food for two people considering they have nearly a week of walking left to do. "I'll eat in the morning." It'll be better that way.

Josh tosses him a small brown paper bag, . "Eat now, trust me. If we eat a little every few hours we'll be sustained the whole time."

"Fine." Tyler sighs, not prepared to argue with Josh over anything. He grabs the muffin out of the bag, it's plain looking, but Tyler figures it'll still be good.

"Can't see anything." Tyler mutters as he pulls off a piece of his muffin.

He can hear Josh rummaging through his bag. "I have a flashlight but i don't want to waste its charge." He murmurs, voice quiet, the cave echoing it slightly.

"Aha."

"What?" Tyler looks up, as though it's not pitch black.

He can sort of make out what Josh is waving around. "Gloves for my hands, my blood circulation is really bad so it helps to keep them just slightly warmer."

Tyler pulls his knees to his chest and chews his food before answering. "Has anyone ever set up a fire in here?"

"Only the dumbs ones." Josh laughs, Tyler wishes he could see him. It's much more reassuring for him, even sitting beside him would better. Not that they're necessarily far apart. "But yeah, probably. I never have just because i'm cautious."

"Do you think it would be noticeable?" He stuffs the rest of his muffin into the bag it came in, not fully satisfied but it's enough for him.

"Yeah, for sure. It's so dark out there at night, it'd be obvious. Like maybe not so much during sunset or just daylight in general but it's not a great idea."

"It's nice to be out of there." Tyler admits quietly, as though it's something to be embarrassed about. "Still feels kind of surreal to be honest." Because it does, it's so wildly different from Dema and from every other time he'd escaped.

"That's understandable." Josh says from in front of him.

Tyler leans back, trying to find some comfort. Trying to ignore that his blanket is a bit wet on one spot. "Yeah, it's good though. It's been maybe a week since I got out last time, I though i'd have to wait months. That's what I usually do. They'll definitely come looking for me, if not now, then by morning."

"Oh they will, theyll probably wait till morning. I doubt they have high expectations for you, no offence. They've probably gotten cocky since they've caught you every time."

"What if they know i'm not alone?" It's worrying.

"Hopefully they don't, but even if they do. They won't recognize me. I got out years ago, I think I was 16."

Tyler gapes. “16? Are you fucking serious?"

Josh just shrugs, Tyler can hear it in the way his jacket rubs against the cool rock of the cave. "I'm 20 now, the bishops won't recognize me. I mean maybe Keons, he liked to keep tabs on everyone in our district."

"Keons always seemed better then the others." He'd always been considered the nicer one of the group. Tyler had never met him though.

"Maybe a little bit, still, he's manipulative. Obsessed with us all admiring him, he just wants us to like him."

"Did you?"

Josh groans and Tyler can see a dark outline of him stand up. “Kind of, he was okay. I don't think he even sent any bishops to come hunt me down, he didn't even come looking for me."

"Lucky, I wish I had been-" Galloping, Tyler hears galloping and yelling. "Fuck."

Tyler's eyes widen. "Josh." The gallop of horses and voices is clear, Tyler has no idea what they're saying but he can hear them and it scares the shit out of him.

"Get over here." Josh whispers, alarmed, pulling Tyler by his arm over to his spot. Tyler complies, terrified to be so close to who he assumes are the bishops. Josh lies back down once Tyler's sat beside him, thighs touching.

Tyler tenses when it happens, he needs to be close. "What're you doing?" He turns to look at him, his hand gripping Josh's bicep nervously.

"Going to sleep." Josh is quiet, his mask pulled down to rest around his neck comfortably. His eyes tired with sleep. Tyler doesn’t understand how anyone could sleep when they’re about to get dragged back to Dema yelling and kicking.

Tyler goes to speak again but Josh hushes him and pats the spot beside him. "Just lie down, it'll be okay." Josh even scoots over for good measure, lifting the blanket he has up to invite Tyler under the warmth with him. Even though Tyler is shaking, wants to run through the cave to get to flat land, he slowly lays down beside Josh, flushing as he does so.

He's never slept beside anyone. Josh sighs beside him. "It's okay." And he wraps and arm around Tyler's waist, like its natural, like its something he does all the time, like they haven't just met. Tyler relaxes, soft of, and scoots closer to him, huffing out a quiet breath as they both shuffle around to get more comfortable. Tyler can't breathe.

The galloping and moving outside of the cavern is quiet, getting quieter as they move out of the area Tyler and Josh are close to. Tyler listens, eyes closed, squeezed tightly actually. It's hard to focus on anything else. The voices start getting quieter and he presses his hand on-top of Josh's arm, curling his fingers gently into his skin.

His entire body is on alert, listening for sounds. He can hear the wind and the trickling of water somewhere deep in he cave and especially he can hear Josh, Josh who despite his calm demeanour is breathing, panting against his neck and clinging to him as though Tyler would be able to protect him at all. He hadn’t even noticed that Josh had hooked their legs together, that he had gotten closer somehow.

It’s okay, Tyler breathes out. It’s fine. His breathing is still slightly sporadic so he focuses on Josh’s breathing instead, not trying to follow his example but more so listening to remember that he’s not alone in this, he won’t be.

“Josh.” He’s so quiet as he says this, slowly turning himself to face Josh and lay on his side. He expects Josh to detangle from him but he doesn’t, boundaries don’t exist and Tyler doesn’t care. Josh seems to need this, seems much more scared then he seemed initially. “Do you think they’re gone?”

Josh shakes his head and squeezes Tyler’s arm tightly, if he holds it any longer then he is now then Tyler imagines he might lose some circulation. Still he says nothing and focuses on controlling his breathing.

He can’t hear anything outside but that doesn’t matter, they could still be close and he and Josh can’t risk being found. Not like this.

Eventually Tyler stops trembling and calms down enough to properly asses the situation and decides that they really are better off going to sleep. Maybe taking turns watching would be safer but the cave is so hidden it probably doesn’t matter.

Josh is still squeezing against him too, which Tyler finds comforting. He sighs, looking at him. He owes this man a lot already, might as we’ll start paying him back. 

He cuddles up to him properly, curling his arms around his torso, they both need it more then they know; proper human contact. 

Tyler likes it and maybe he falls asleep completely holding josh in his arms instead of worrying about the bishops but he has a good feeling that it’ll all turn out okay. 

Maybe yellow really is lucky.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DON’T KNOW WHAT IM DOING. i told myself this wouldn’t never a fic but maybe it will be. also there’s probably 100 typo’s, so sorry.


	3. Chapter 3

  
It's cold when Tyler wakes up, a small breeze coming in from the outside. Without opening his eyes he can tell that there's some light coming in, he'll be able too, but he can't bring himself to open his eyes right now. Too terrified that maybe this really has all been a dream, maybe he's back in Dema.

So he keeps them shut and shifts slightly, humming as he leans into the soft touch that Josh is holding him with. Josh is holding him, Josh is cuddling with him and he's doing it back, his legs intertwined with Josh's under the fleece blanket they're sharing.

"Oh." He gasps softly, eyes blinking as they adjust to the light after hours of darkness. He squints at Josh, who's still completely wrapped around him. For a guy that kind of scares him, he looks much softer like this. Bits of his hair are sticking out from underneath his hood in gentle curls, his mouth is slightly open and he's clinging to Tyler, still clinging to him. He's got an arm around his waist and he's completely pressed to Tyler's side.

He's warm, which is a bonus. They definitely stayed warm tonight solely based on the fact that they were so close to each-other and Tyler's thankful for it. He's so warm that he doesn't even want to move, the ground isn't comfortable by any means but after sleeping there all night Tyler doesn't care.

Josh sighs softly beside him, it's more of a snore really. Tyler shifts and pulls him closer because really it's not like Josh is gonna notice and honestly, he needs to be close to someone right now and if that someone is Josh, the man who rescued him from Dema, then he's perfectly fine with that.

So he gets closer to him. He might as well get a few more hours of sleep.

*

When he wakes up again, his arms around Josh and Josh's aren't around him. It's slightly disappointing to reach out sleepily and grasp at nothing when you're expecting your cuddle buddy to be there. Which is sort of what Josh is.

Tyler licks his lips, tastes how gross his mouth tastes. He wishes he'd brought something to clean his teeth with but he hadn't even thought of things like dental care when he'd packed.

"Sorry." He hears, sounds like Josh, he's close by. He doesn't know what he's apologizing for.

Tyler only makes a soft yawning noise in response, sleepily sitting up. He's quiet, not tired, but mentally, he's exhausted. Josh is sitting at the end of their make shift bed, pocket knife out again as he slices off pieces of an apple.

"Did you just wake up?" Tyler asks softly, pulling his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. His fingers are slightly cold and now he understands why Josh had brought gloves, he definitely should've brought some.

Josh shakes his head and stuffs a piece of apple in his mouth. "I went to go check around Trench for any signs of the Bishops."

"Wh-" Tyler wants to lecture him about how dangerous that could've been if he'd been caught but Josh shakes his head, no worries.

"Don't worry, they're gone or they've moved further up trench, they were definitely here though." Josh sighs, cutting off another piece of the apple and offering it to Tyler.

Tyler smiles shyly in thanks before frowning again. "Um, how many does it look like? You were checking foot prints and stuff right?"

Josh nods, he speaks even with a full mouth. "At the most 5."

Tyler tenses, peeling off the skin off the apple as a distraction. "T-thats a lot."

"Kind of." Josh admits, slowly standing up, using the wall as a crutch, Tyler follows him with his eyes and Josh smiles at him once he's stood. "Did you sleep okay? I hope you didn't mind that I sorta forced you into cuddling with me."

"I liked it." Tyler flushes when Josh raises his eyebrows. "I mean just-it was warmer and it made me feel safer then being all the way over where I was going to be sleeping."

Josh grins. "Good, and you're right it's definitely warmer. When we get to the point where we'll be camping out every night, i'll have a tent by then."

"A tent? You have one?"

"Hm, sort of. I'll be able to set something up, we just need a tree that has low branches and some big rocks." Josh looks around and grabs the large blanket Tyler had been using. "And this, it's definitely big enough to cover us while we sleep."

"Wouldn't it be safer to just sleep without a tent, draw less attention to ourselves?" Tyler has so many concerns he doesn't even know what to say first. Not that he doesn't want the safety of a tent but he also doesn't want to get caught, barely even wants to sleep in fear that they'll find him and Josh when they can't do anything. He can imagine the bishops just knocking them unconscious and bringing them back with them, it'd b so easy, especially since him and Josh aren't exactly the biggest men alive.

"Probably." Josh shrugs, that careless demeanour back again. "Don't worry about it, we're not even there yet man."

"Yeah, okay." Tyler shuffles, getting off of the ground and bringing the blanket with him to keep wrapped around himself. The blanket smells a bit dusty but underneath all that it smells like Dema. It's the same one he has at home, soft and warm. He's surprised it's still in a good condition but at the same time it makes sense to him. Past escapees always want to help, and leaving stuff like this behind is a way to do so.

"Drink water." Josh says quietly. "Don't chug it, just a little bit. We definitely have food but water, we need to preserve it."

Tyler cant disagree with that, he's not even hungry right now either. Well he might be but he's too anxious to feel much of anything so even if he was. He wasn't sure he'd feel it. It's quiet for the next ten minutes, Josh is eating and going through all his things and Tyler is pulling on what gear he has, that may be appropriate for a cave exploration.

He's not expecting much out of it, not expecting anything too dangerous but he's nervous anyways despite trusting Josh to guide him through safely.

"Last nice was scary." Tyler sighs eventually, the admittance making what happened real. The bishops had really been right outside, looking for him.

"Yeah." Josh mutters, pulling on his backpack and adjusting the straps so it got tighter and clung to him better. "But we're okay, we'll be out of the cave in under an hour or two."

"I just," Tyler frowns, biting at his nails. "I don't want to ever go back to Dema again, I think i'd just give up at that point."

Josh sighs and touches his shoulder gently, it's meant to reassure him but somehow it makes Tyler blush. He can see every little detail of Josh's face from this close and it's still so familiar. He's must've seen him before maybe when they were younger? He's not sure. He can't remember much past when he turned 20, everything before that is fuzzy. So maybe it's really not that important. "Listen." Josh says gently. "I'm not letting you go back there. You're with me now."

Tyler nods. "Okay."

"Good. Now, we've got to get going."

They pack up quickly, Josh shoving the blanket they used into his backpack. 

*

It's so fucking dark, honestly Tyler's glad Josh had a small torch in his bag because otherwise it would be pitch black. It still sort of is, the walls of the cave are illuminated with a soft yellow glow but it's not really enough. It's still dark and Tyler can barely see.

He's walking behind Josh because they'd both agreed it would be safer to have him in front. Tyler's completely following his lead and matching his footsteps. And he's terrified to step wrong and have the entire cave crumble underneath them. Not that it's likely but it's a fear he has among many many others.

So far it’s been pretty okay, they’ve had to climb up a few times and Josh had insisted on giving him a hand and delicately pulling him up. Which Tyler hadn’t necessarily minded but it did make him feel kind of helpless. Josh has been helping him with every thing so far and it makes Tyler feel like he could really be doing more to contribute. 

"It's really pretty in here." Tyler whispers and it echoes all around them, which admittedly freaks him out. The rocky paysage of the walls are beautiful somehow, it's different. Compared to the tunnel they'd come through this is far more impressive. Because it wasn't man made, just a natural distortion of rock that's been progressing for millions of years.

Josh chuckles quietly in front of him. "It is." He ducks his head when the rocky ceiling of the cavern gets too low for him. Tyler ducks too, considering he's taller then Josh is definitely necessary. "The deeper you go the nicer gets honestly, but it's way too narrow if we get off path, and way too steep to safely get down there and get back up."

"I'm perfectly fine with this." Tyler sighs, carefully stepping over a large rock that definitely could've tripped him. "And it's also way warmer in here then where we were sleeping, and kind of musky?"

Josh nods in front of him, his face covered by the mask Tyler had made him a again. He’s kept it up the whole time and Tyler sort of wished he’d made his own so they could match. "Yeah."

"So what can you tell me?" Tyler asks eventually, very curious. He doesn't know very much and he desperately wants to know more. "I mean- you said that you were saving stories for later but I have a lot of questions and i’m pretty sure this might qualify as later.” 

"I can tell you about the camp to start." Josh says, his voice kind of raspy as he turns a sharp corner, Tyler easily following, eyes blinking at the dark.

“I’ll take it.”

“Um, well honestly I haven’t been there in a few weeks. I didn’t mention this but it’s becoming more difficult to get into Dema.”

Tyler frowns, watching his feet as he walks. “Why?”

Josh coughs. “They have more guards and vultures on the outer walls lately. Since they don’t know where we come and go from yet they’re looking to see if they can catch us. I couldn’t risk letting the exit be found so i’ve been staying a way. I was supposed to get you out way earlier than this.” 

“ _Oh_ , that makes sense. You don’t think they saw us leaving do you?”

He watches as Josh rolls his shoulders back and hums in thought. “I don’t think so, they took a long time to get here and we left during the shift rotation for the guards.”

“You know a lot about this.” Tyler admits, feeling stupid. He might’ve escaped multiple times but his escapes had definitely never been this strategic which is probably why he always got caught. He hadn’t even know they’d had guards.

“That’s what happens when you spend your entire life sneaking in and out of Dema.” Josh shrugs.

“The camp though, it’s far away because we really didn’t want it to be easily accessible by anyone. Which sounds sort of shitty but y’know.” Josh glances back at him, a little frown on his lips. “Safety reasons, we have kids there and families. Can’t risk every escapee just showing up and jeopardizing everything we’ve built.”

We? Who is we? That wasn’t something Tyler was going to ask though. “Is it nice?” He asks, running his fingers across the walls of the cave. It had gotten slightly more narrow but nothing too claustrophobic.

Josh nods. “It looks like a little town, I can’t even describe it.” He sighs. “Compared to Dema we’re missing a lot of necessities but people are happy there. There’s no lack of food and yes everyone has jobs but they’re happy to do them.”

“I wonder if i’ll know anyone. I mean it possible right?” A lot of his old friends were gone, he never found out if they’d been sent to a different district of if they’d escaped or if they’d died. You didn’t get the privilege of knowing the status of family and friends. If you dont have a way communicate with them and they leave, you’re never talking to them again.

“Of course, who knows though. Not everyone stays in the group. But usually the way it all works is that we have the leaders of the entire group and they send people out to break into Dema and get others out. Everything’s really organized, and deciding who we get out is a tough decision but usually people are sent in with the mind set of finding past escapees or people that have that little shine in their eyes.” Josh is excited when he speaks about planning escapes and Tyler smiles. It’s sort of cute. 

”So I have a question for you.” Josh says eventually and they come to a stop at what looks like some downhill type of terrain.Which it definitely is Tyler stares at it for a moment, it’s intimidating.  

Tyler stares at him, nervous. “Okay.” 

“Do you know a Bill Dun?” 

Bill. Bill. Bill. Bill Dun. The name is familiar but he can’t place it. So he shakes his his head. “I don’t remember very much, i’m sorry.” 

Josh sighs. “It’s okay, I wasn’t expecting you too.”

They go back to silence after that, Tyler didn’t want to pester Josh to tell him more things. He just got the feeling that he was annoying him, all he had was question after question but he couldn’t help himself. He knows nothing about where they’re going or the city he spent his whole life in. Of course he wants to know things, especially since Josh clearly has the answers he’s looking for.

**Author's Note:**

> Is this a mess? yes.  
> do i enjoy writing this mess? also yes.


End file.
